General Dynamics Receives $22 M U.S. Navy Award for Common Missile Compartment Development

General Dynamics Receives $22 M U.S. Navy Award for Common Missile Compartment Development

Posted On
Friday, 15 November 2013 18:58

a

Naval
Industry News - USA / UK

General
Dynamics Receives $22 M U.S. Navy Award for Common Missile Compartment
Development

The
U.S Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $22.5 million
contract modification for the continued development of the Common Missile
Compartment for the U.S. Ohio replacement submarine and the United Kingdom’s
Successor ballistic-missile submarine. Electric Boat is a wholly owned
subsidiary of General Dynamics.

A US Navy
SSBN seen with all its missile tubes hatches opened
(picture: US Navy archives)

Electric
Boat will procure and test equipment to be used in the production of
the Common Missile Compartment. Initially awarded in December 2012,
the five-year, $1.85 billion contract calls for Electric Boat to perform
research and development work for the Navy’s next-generation ballistic-missile
submarine, which is scheduled to begin construction in 2021. The potential
value of the overall contract is $2.9 billion.

This work will engage Electric Boat’s engineering and design organization,
which comprises more than 4,000 employees. Possessing proven technical
capabilities, these employees work on all facets of the submarine lifecycle
from concept formulation and design through construction, maintenance
and modernization, and eventually to inactivation and disposal.

HMS Vanguard,
head of Vanguard class SSBN, the current class of Royal Navy SSBN
set to be replaced around 2024 by a new class of SSBN
(Picture: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)

The Ohio Replacement SSBN Program is tasked with recapitalizing American
sea-based strategic deterrent in a cost-effective manner. The US Navy
plans to replace its current fleet of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs with only
12 Ohio Replacement SSBNs. The first Ohio Replacement is scheduled to
begin construction in fiscal year 2021, deliver to the US Navy in 2027,
and conduct its first strategic deterrence patrol in 2031 after undergoing
a rigorous testing and evaluation regime.